Grey Angel
by Liapocalypse
Summary: The gem of Gotham's criminal underworld falls into Joker's hands. Together they embark on a journey that will destroy the Chechen mob and set the Grey Angel free.  Rated M for graphic depictions of drug use, violence, language and sexual content. Pls R&R!
1. Prologue

**Author's note: I am using everything without permission and am making no money on any of it. I own Dinah, Dellini, and Mr. Chao but that's about the extent of it. The rest belongs to DC Comics.**

**Please feel free to R&R!**

The Grey Angel was a girl who had been chased down, violently beaten and gang raped for three days before being shot in the abdomen by Chechen, who was nothing more than a lowly henchmen at the time. The Grey Angel held on for hours before she was discovered on the front stoop of an herbalists shop.

His name was Mr. Chao. Reporting the crime to police, he stood by her through the surgeries and seemingly endless humiliations from the press, helping her through the pain when the doctors told her that they had had to remove her uterus due to the damage that had been caused. After the Angel's release from the hospital, she went to live with Mr. Chao who taught her all about herbs, how they healed and how they hurt. After he died, Chechen, no longer a henchmen, paid a visit to the Grey Angel in the failing herb shop and offered her a job in his strip club. Desperate for the money, she took it and fell into the underbelly of Gotham City. Chechen, wary of letting the Angel get too far away from him, he kept her close, introducing her to everyone in the Gotham underworld.

He was always surprised when she met people he would never hope of talking too otherwise. And the despite the pills Chechen gave her to keep the Grey Angel from flying the nest, she still managed to captivate the hearts of everyone around her, becoming a beacon of light and purity in the ceaseless night.


	2. Chapter 1

Dinah McKinney was known as Chechen's Grey Angel in Gotham's underworld. She loved by everyone she came into contact with. A gentle woman with a warm personality and a shrewd intelligence, she had a knack for survival and a quick wit that helped her stay alive in even more dire of circumstances. Chechen himself had taken her under his wing when she was barely 18 and gave her a job in his club, more to keep an eye on her than anything else. Chechen's nightclub was a well-known gentlemen's club in central Gotham City. And this is where we begin our story, on a rainy October night that held the promising bite of winter in the air.

Chechen was sitting in a booth with the Joker discussing business when Chechen noticed Dinah at the bar, and nodded imperceptibly to her, calling her over. Chechen loved to watch Dinah walk. She was 20 years old and 5'5" barefoot, all leg, and combined with the platform stiletto heels that gave her a full 5 additional inches, she was a knockout. With a slender torso, hips and small pert breasts, Chechen jealously refused to let her dance in the club. She had long thick chocolate brown wavy hair that framed a heart shaped face. Her big pouty lips and pert nose exuded sex appeal, but her stormy eyes made her seem removed from everything around her.

"What can I get for you this evening?" She asked brightly, smiling down at Chechen before turning her attention to the Joker.

"Vodka tonic," Chechen replied.

"Nothing for me, thanks doll face," the Joker said, pleased when she didn't flinch away from the scars on his face.

As Dinah walked back to the bar, the Joker turned to Chechen. "I want her. I won't do the job unless you give her to me."

"Who? Dinah? No. Absolutely not. Her place is here, with me," Chechen said pointblank, looking over the Joker's shoulder at the waif at the bar.

"Well-ah-does she feel that way?" the Joker responded, staring at Chechen. "What could she possibly want with an old man like you?"

"What would she want with a freak like you?" Chechen shot back quietly. "No, Dinah stays here with me."

"No one else can do this job Chechen, we both know it. So-umm-you better give her to me, or I'll make meeting your ends so difficult you'll throw her at my feet so fast you won't even be stop the car to do it," the Joker said as Dinah approached from behind with a glass on her serving tray. Chechen studied her, wary to give her up. If the Joker got control of her she could find out that he was responsible for what had happened to her, and that would make his life hell. Down here there were few people who were more influential than the Grey Angel, and now that he had her, he was reluctant to let her go.

She set the vodka down on the table in front of Chechen and was about to walk away when he called out her name.

"Dinah! Come here, I'd like for you to meet a business associate of mine," Chechen said as Dinah turned and came back to the table. "This is the Joker. He's going to be doing a few jobs for me."

"It's so nice to meet you," she said, smiling down at the Joker. "I hope Mr. Chechen is treating you alright."

"He's treating me just fine toots," the Joker replied as he took her hand.

"Dinah, I'd like for you to go with him," Chechen said quietly and Dinah snatched her hand back.

"Why? I don't work for you in that capacity," she pointed out sensibly enough. "I'm just a waitress."

"What Chechen is trying so diplomatically to say is that you're my payment for my taking these jobs doll face. And you're coming with me," the Joker said, grabbing her wrist as he got to his feet.

"Mr. Chechen you can't do this!" She screamed as he began to pull her away. "I'm not chattel for you to sell! I'm not just some piece of meat!"

She pulled against his grip uselessly, screaming at Chechen's men to do something, but none of them moved, none of them would look her in the eye. Chechen's name was the last thing she screamed before the Joker dragged her out the door.


	3. Chapter 2

"Let me go! I never agreed to this," Dinah shrieked as the Joker pulled her towards a van, stumbling in her ridiculous shoes. The Joker turned on her so fast that she would've fallen over backwards if he hadn't caught her.

"Of course you didn't agree to this, I don't care if you did or not. You're mine now so get used to it. I ain't ever gonna let you outta my sight Dinah, and if you try to run, I'll just slit your throat," the Joker said, breathing into her face and giving her a good view of his cracked and yellowing teeth. Then he renewed his grip on her wrist and dragged her to the van, shoving her in the back and slamming the doors behind her.

Getting into the driver's side, he pulled out of the lot and watched Dinah desperately try to get out of the van. He just laughed, he had removed all the handles from the inside of the van for just such an occasion. Speeding through Gotham as he drove into oncoming traffic or up onto the sidewalk, the Joker laughed hysterically.

Dinah crouched barefoot on the floor of the van, leaning against the back wall and cursing herself for not wearing pants to work. For not having a job that let you wear sensible shoes. She stared hungrily at the passenger's side door at the front of the van. If she could just stun him long enough. . .

Taking a shoe in each hand, she slowly crept forward until she was sitting behind him and then slammed him in the side of the head as hard as she could. It startled him so much that they drove off the road and nearly crashed, but Dinah was already moving, throwing open the door and flinging herself out into thin air, leaving behind the cursing Joker as he tried to gain control of the van.

For a few glorious seconds, Dinah felt like all the burdens had been lifted off of her as she flew through the air. And then she hit the ground like a sack of bricks. She laid there for a moment, stunned by the impact. And then Dinah heard the van screech to a halt a little ways down the street and she was pushing herself to her bare feet, grabbing her wristlet and shoes, she started running.

Only problem was, the Joker had stopped the van and was running after her. He was faster, and hadn't been as hurt and she had. Slamming into her from behind they both fell to the ground and the Joker was on her, pulling her head up by her hair and holding a knife to her throat.

"That was a very brave thing you did, stupid, but brave. I admire you for it, you might even be able to keep up Dinah," the Joker breathed into her ear.

Dinah for her part, held perfectly still and didn't say a word, even when tears silently coursed down her cheeks.

"You're gonna have to ride with me I guess," the Joker said, sighing theatrically before hauling himself to his feet and dragging her with him.

When they reached the van the Joker climbed in behind the wheel and dragged Dinah onto his lap, wrapping his arm tightly around her waist before slamming the door and starting the van.

Dinah struggled in his grip, trying to get her hands free.

"Keep shimmying like that and we're going to have to have our own little party right here," the Joker grumbled, causing Dinah to struggle even harder, but all he did was laugh, until she bit him on the neck, drawing blood. Then he stopped the van for the second time that night and pushed her into the back of the van; punching her and kicking her savagely into submission. When he finished, he left her lying there on the cold metal floor of the van and returned to the driver's seat, muttering about how no one had manners these days.

Finally they drove up in front of an old warehouse and stopped the van. The sun was just peaking up over the horizon as the Joker climbed out of the van and went around to the back, pulling open the doors and climbing in to kneel next to Dinah. Her torso and face was a massive of cuts and bruises, and she looked up at the Joker in raw terror as he lifted her up and pulled her out of the van. Slamming the doors behind him, he carried her whimpering into the warehouse.

Several guys on couches set up around an old television stood up as he came in through the doors.

"Good news boys, I got us some work and I brought home a new friend for myself. And we're going to get something straight right now. If any of you touch her, I'm going to kill you. If any of you put her in a compromising position, I will kill you. If you try to exchange food or a trip to the bathroom for sexual or any other kind of favors, I. Will. Kill. You. Are we clear?" The Joker demanded as his men nodded warily, staring at the half-conscious slip of a girl lying in his arms. "Good. Go get the guns ready, I'll get the list of supplies."

The Joker carried Dinah over to the stairs and climbed up to the second floor and down a long hallway to an old office that had been turned into a bedroom. Against the back wall was a queen sized bed covered in sumptuous purple silk sheets and an acid green comforter. On either side of the bed were tall windows that had been painted shut and were reinforced with chicken wire. On the left wall was a collapsible dresser, and on the right was a desk and the door that lead into a small bathroom.

Laying her down on the bed, he gently pried her shoes and wristlet out of her hands, placing the shoes on the floor and the small bag on the bedside table before pulling the blankets up around her. Then, after a moment's thought, he went into the bathroom and put some water from the sink into a cup for her and left it on the table next to her. Then he took the supply sheet off the desk and left the room, locking it behind him.

Dinah laid on bed feeling dazed. Breathing hurt and she didn't want to think about the possibility of a cracked rib. Reaching for her bag, she pulled the small bronze wristlet off the table and unzipped the top, pulling out a delicate filigree pillbox. She managed to pry it open with shaking hands and dropped two white oxycodone pills into her hand. Throwing them back, she took a drink of water. At least she could sleep through this hell in a relatively numb haze, even if she couldn't escape, and then oblivion took her.

The Joker sent his men out to get the supplies that they needed and then spent a few hours going over the plans Chechen had given him before getting up to go check on Dinah. Quietly opening the door, he saw her sleeping quietly, curled in on herself like a small child. His dark eyes travelled over her bare arms and shoulders, he'd half to get her some real clothes to wear if she was going to be any use to him. Then he saw the open wristlet on the table, and the small pillbox sticking halfway out. Walking across the room, he picked up the pill box and flicked it open, staring at the chalky white pills for a moment before sliding the pill box into his pants pocket. Opening her wristlet, he looked through it's contents, removing her cell phone, and taking her ID and sticking it in his pocket. Then he left the room again, locking the door behind him. Going out to a sleek black car parked down in the lot, he took another look at her ID and drove off for the Narrows and Dinah's apartment.


	4. Chapter 3

The Joker pulled up in front of a small Chinese herb shop on in a dead end on an almost impossible to find street. Taking his knife, he jimmied the lock open and stepped into the herb shop. Stands stood around holding rotting herbs, large jars stood neatly on shelves behind the desk holding dried herbs with labels written in Mandarin. Through a door at the back of the shop was a flight of stairs that lead up to Dinah's apartment.

Dinah lived in a one bedroom apartment whose main area gave way into the bedroom. There had dark wood floors, and the walls were painted a clean white. Against one wall was an enormous set of built in shelves that held an array of books, pictures, knick knacks and an old television, which a low sofa and chairs sat around. Parallel to that sat a small dining room table, and beyond that in an alcove was the kitchen. At the end of the room was a Chinese style archway that led into the bedroom. The bed frame was built into the back wall along with another set of shelves that were filled up with books. Closet space filled one whole wall, and the bathroom was on the other side.

The Joker prowled through her space, looking at the spines of the books and wondering how such an obviously intelligent woman had become so enshrouded in the underbelly of Gotham. Would the real Dinah emerge from the haze after withdrawal? When he stepped into the bedroom, he looked around before going to the closet and opening the sliding doors. There was storage for clothing and a hanging bar that held a few dresses. Except for a few plastic containers labelled **work**, the clothing mostly consisted of regular everyday clothes. Pulling out a couple changes of clothes, he turned to the rest of the door and began hunting around. In the bathroom he found several more plastic pill bottles that had pills like the ones in his pocket.

"Oxycodone," he sneered, dumping the pills down the toilet before prowling into the bedroom again. Not convinced he had found everything there was to find, he returned to the shop and looked around before finding a large lacquered box tucked away under a low table in the office. Prying off the lid he stared at news article after news article of a 13 year old girl who had been brutally attacked and raped by a group of Chechen's men. Digging deeper he unearthed a set of x-rays and a hospital bracelet with the name 'Alice Dinah McKinney' printed on it.

Pursing his lips in anger, he sat back and read the articles about how she had been found in the herb shop downstairs by the owner, barely alive, and how she had spent a month in the ICU before spending another 2 months in a regular hospital room. The Joker grew more enraged as he read about her time in Arkham before being released home to Mr. Chao, the herbalist who found her. Taking the box and putting them on the counter with the clothes he had collected, he climbed the stairs to her kitchen and dialed a number on the phone.

"Jack? Forget the list, I've got a better idea."

When Dinah awoke, evening light was filtering in through the windows. Uncurling herself from her nice warm nest, she dragged herself into the bathroom to relieve herself. Still feeling groggy from the drugs effects, she flushed, washed her hands, and went back into the bedroom, intending on taking another pill and sleeping for another 8 to 12 hours. Sitting down on the edge of the bed she pulled her wristlet towards her and opened it. Not seeing the pillbox, she muttered a curse before climbing onto her hands and knees and searching under the bed and desk.

It was becoming increasingly obvious to her that her pills were missing. Pushing herself to her feet, she stalked over to the door and started pounding on the metal. "Dammit Joker! Gimme my pills back! I need those!" She shrieked, banging her fists against the door. She pounded until her hands hurt and gave up. Dinah began pacing nervously around the room, all too aware that the pains of withdrawal would set in if she couldn't get her fix.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she heard the now familiar tapping of the Joker's shoes heading in her direction.

When he opened the door she turned and stalked across the room. "Gimme my pills."

"No," he said succinctly.

"Dammit Joker, give me my pills," Dinah yelled into his face.

"Why, so you can-um-never feel again? I don't think so, I need you alert, not acting like some junky, so no more pills," the Joker replied, smiling down into her face.

"You can't do this, you don't know what's going to happen," Dinah pressed forward, determined to get her point across.

"Oh yes I do, you're going to go through withdrawal. It should start to set in in the next couple of hours. Don't worry, I'll be here to help you through it," he said, smoothing her dark hair out of her face.

"Please just give me my pills, I need them, you don't understand what you're doing," Dinah begged. "I'll give you anything you want, and I know you want me, everyone does."

"I'm not going to sleep with a woman whose obviously reliving a rape trauma over and over again," he snapped angrily, startling Dinah.

"H-how do you know about that?" She asked warily, backing away.

"Doesn't matter how I know but I take good care of my property, and since you belong to me now, we're going to do this my way," the Joker said, dropping the bag of clothes on the floor that she hadn't seen. "Now put on something else, no one needs to see that much of you."

Warily taking the cloth bag that she recognized from her apartment, she carried the things into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Tying up her hair she climbed under the jet of water, and felt more like she was going into a war zone than she ever had.

The Joker paced restlessly around the bedroom while he listened to her shower. He was going to have to put his plans on hold while Dinah detoxed, but it would give him more time to figure out how to deal with the situation.

When there came a knock at the door, he strode over and looked at Jack, one of the guys he'd kept since the beginning. Jack was tall and lanky with black hair, but behind his seemingly sullen expression, he was an easy-going goodnatured guy.

"We secured the safe house Boss," he said warily.

"Good, go on ahead, we'll be there in a little while," the Joker said before closing the door in his face.

Turning he saw Dinah walk into the room looking nervous. She wore a pair of sweat pants and an old t-shirt and the flip flops he had shoved in the bag as an after thought.

"We-ah-can't stay here toots, gotta keep moving so we don't get caught. It's a long drive, you might want to take the comforter with you," the Joker said, going over to the desk and gather the papers. Throwing the cloth bag over her shoulder, she gathered up the comforter in her arms and prepared to follow him out to the car.

Dinah settled herself in the backseat while the Joker put on the child locks and started the black sedan.

It was a two hour drive to reach their destination, and as the drive went on, Dinah began to feel more and more miserable. The Joker drove like the madman he was, determined to get her to the safe house before she spiked a fever.

Glancing at her in the rear-view mirror, he muttered a curse. Her face was pale and drawn and her lips looked more grey than pink, and he would've bet good money on her skin being slicked in sweat. Uttering another curse, he floored the car until he saw a sign for an off-season motel and pulled into the empty lot. Parking behind the motel, he unlocked the doors, and lifted Dinah out of the car and carried her towards a cabin. Inside he found a king-sized bed, a small kitchenette, a small bathroom, and a wood burning stove.

Laying her down on the bed, he went out to the woodpile and pulled in enough firewood for the night. Listening to Dinah shiver and moan as he built the fire, he wondered angrily who had done this to her. Who had given her these pills? To what end? He intended to find out. He hadn't heard her get out of bed, advance towards him.

"Please baby, just give me my pills, I'll share," she breathed into his ear, licking his neck and nibbling on his ear lobe.

"Go back to bed Dinah," he said, pushing her away. "You're going to get a lot worse before you get better."

"I don't have too," she breathed. "Come on baby, we could have so much fun."

"Doing drugs isn't fun, it's disgusting and you're killing yourself," he retorted.

"At least I'm just hurting myself, at least I don't run around killing people for the hell of it," Dinah bit back angrily, then her eyes glazed over and she sat down hard on the floor, leaning against the footboard of the bed. "So much blood, so much pain."

The Joker turned to study her, abandoning the fire, he crawled over to where she laid, staring blankly up at ceiling, a hand clutching her abdomen.

"So much running, so tired, they got me when I was weak, when I needed to sleep. There were so many of them, I couldn't fend them off. It hurt so bad, they cut away my clothes. . . used the body. They left me for dead. . . Mr. Chao found me on the stoop of his shop. They had shot me in the abdomen before leaving. . . Mr. Chao took care of me, took me in after the hospital, after all the surgeries. . . he passed away last winter," she murmured through her fever as the heat overtook her. Her hair felt static on her head and her skin screamed with raw sensitivity against her clothes. "Needed money, needed a job. Chechen took me in, gave me all that, gave me the pills too. He gave my life new meaning. And then he gave me away. Everyone I need always leaves, there's only the pills left. They kill the pain."

The Joker could barely contain his rage and his mind spun with the information he gleaned from the herb shop and what Dinah was telling him now. Chechen had been responsible for her undoing, the most beloved woman in the Gotham underground and the man who was supposedly backing her had all but killed her.

"I'm not gonna leave you Alice," he murmured, kissing her forehead. "I'm never gonna leave you baby."

"Promise?" She murmured, wrapping her arms around him as tears slid down her cheeks.

"I promise," he replied, stroking her dark hair. Picking her up he set her back on the bed and got the fire going. Going into the bathroom, he washed the greasepaint off his face and slipped out of his jacket and vest. Removing his socks and shoes, he climbed into the bed with her and wrapped his arms around her while she murmured and sweated out the drugs.

Three days passed before the sun dawned and Dinah with it. There was a sudden feeling of clarity as the drugs vanished from her system and she sat up and looked around the small cabin before looking down at the man lying next to her asleep. Quietly getting up she went into the bathroom to relieve herself. When she finished washing her hands, she studied her face in the mirror. She felt more alive than she had in months and tried to remember the events of the past few days when the Joker came and stood in the doorway.

"You're-ah-feeling better I see," he said calmly, studying her. "Get yourself cleaned up, then we need to talk, there's something you need to know."

"A-alright," she said warily, closing the door and turning on the water in the shower. She luxuriated under the stream of water, trying to remember when anything had ever felt this good before. She scrubbed all over, and washed and conditioned her hair thoroughly. When the water finally ran clean, she stood and looked down at her bruised and battered body, fingering the bullet-shaped scar on her abdomen. Pushing away the grief that still reverberated from that horrible night 7 years ago, she turned off the water and climbed out, she dried herself off and then got dressed.

Walking out into the main part of the cabin, she sat down in the armchair in the corner and studied the Joker. "What do I need to know?"

"Chechen's responsible for what happened to you, I propose we get even," he said with a leering grin.

"What do you mean 'what happened'?" Dinah asked, genuinely baffled.

"You don't remember much, do you toots?" He asked, lifting the lid off of the lacquered box.

Getting up, Dinah walked over to where he was sitting on the bed. She lifted out article after article, the box was a blow-by-blow of that horrible incident.

"Chechen purposefully found you and started giving you drugs to keep an eye on you and keep you controlled. So you couldn't find out that he was responsible for the rape and beatings his men gave you," the Joker said quietly, eyeing the young woman, who began bristling with rage as she read article after article telling the story of her beatings and recovery in morbid details. She looked over the photographs from the crime scene and studied the x-rays.

"I'll kill him myself," she said, stalking towards the fabric bag with intense purpose, she dug out her sandals and stalked back over to the bed. "Gimme the keys, I've got to pay a visit to someone."

"Umm, no, that's not how we're gonna play this game Alice," he said, watching her eyes widen when he used her first name. "Oh, I know all about you little Alice, you sang like a bird in withdrawal. And you last week you might've been Chechen's Grey Angel, but now you're mine."

Dinah stared at him wide-eyed in fear, the magnitude of where she was and who she was with came crashing in around her. "No, that's not what Chechen meant when he said-"

"It doesn't matter what Chechen meant, you're here now, and there's nothing you can do about it," he leered, staring down at her. "Now get your things, we're leaving in ten minutes."


	5. Chapter 4

On the drive to the safe house, the Joker watched Dinah out of the corner of his eye. She sat passively in the passenger seat next to him, staring out at the window at the seemingly endless pine trees. Dinah was braver than she knew, the Joker decided. She just hadn't figured it out yet. It was alright though. She would learn soon enough just how brave she could be.

They pulled up in front of a dilapidated old mansion that had once been an old folks home. Parking the car, the Joker climbed out smoothly while Dinah moved more slowly, feeling as though she had lead weights in her feet. The Joker had pitched her off her balance and he knew it. Dinah wondered wearily if she would be able to make a phone call and knew that she wouldn't.

Following him up the flint stairs and into the house, he slammed the door behind her and dragged her through a door to their left where four guys were seated around a folding table playing cards.

"New plan boys. We're going after Chechen, so we've got three days to prepare," the Joker announced.

Dinah stood by, growing more and more irritated that she wasn't even going to be able to take part in the destruction of the man who had ruined her life when a phone rang. One of the guys pulled it out of his pocket stupidly and before anyone could react she grabbed it out of his hand, hit the cancel button and began dial another number, walking across the hall into the other room.

She could feel the Joker's dark eyes boring into the back of her head, but she honestly didn't care.

"Hallo?" Came a thickly accented voice over the phone, reminding Dinah of Edith Head.

"Hello Dellini, how are you doing darling?" Dinah said, smiling broadly.

"Oh I'm just wonderful darling, we all heard what Chechen did to you. Are you with the Joker? Are you alright? Is he really as fabulous as they say he is? Darling when Benny told me what had happened, I was shocked, just shocked, I couldn't believe he would hand his Grey Angel over like that," Dellini replied in her usual manner.

"Yes, I'm alright, and the Joker really is as fabulous as they say he is. He saved my life, actually. It's why I'm calling, I simply couldn't wait for our tea," Dinah replied.

"I see, I see, tell me more," Dellini said eagerly.

"Chechen's men were responsible for my incident, and after Mr. Chao died, Chechen gave me a job and started giving me drugs to control me. It was sheer luck that the Joker got his hands on me at all, best thing that could've happened really," Dinah said, turning to find that the four men had vanished and the Joker was staring at her with rage glazing in his eyes. "He helped me through withdrawal, helped me put all the pieces together. He's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. Anyway, I know this is sudden, but I was wondering if your offer still stood if their was anything I ever needed?"

"Yes, yes, of course, you want to go after Chechen, don't you?" Dellini said eagerly into the phone.

"I do, but you see, the Joker wants to help, he has a certain _je ne sais quois _when it comes to doing what he does which is going to work beautifully if it's done properly. Do you mind if I bring him to tea?" Dinah asked brightly, the smile evident in her voice.

"Of course, of course, I have an opening tomorrow afternoon at four. Does that work?" Dellini asked.

"Four is perfect, thank you so much for fitting us in darling," Dinah said.

"Tah-tah," Dellini said before Dinah hung up the phone. She didn't even turn around before the Joker's fist slammed her in the back, knocking her forward.

"What do you think your doing?" He hissed, staring down at her.

"Checking in," she gasped, clearly talking with Dellini wasn't just a casual thing. "Dellini likes me to check in from time to time. She tends to come looking for me if I'm not in touch."

"You will never undermine my authority again you stupid woman, especially in front of my men," the Joker said, hauling her up and dragging her towards the stairs. "I guess I'm just going to have to teach you to respect your betters."

Wrenching her up the stairs and down the hall into another bedroom, he slammed and locked the door before turning to face the woman cowering on the floor in front of him. Grabbing her by the hair he threw her onto the bed and pulling out his knife, studying her for a moment, he pulled down her shirt and carved a small J into her right breast while Dinah screamed and thrashed underneath him. When he finished, he moved away while Dinah rolled backwards off the bed and collapsed against the back wall, eyeing him madly as blood seeped into her shirt.

"You're no better than Chechen, you know that? Thinking you can tie me up and hold me down like this? I'm the Grey Angel Joker. I have more power than you can imagine. You say you wanna bring down Chechen? Well so do I, and I know all the right people in power who can give us the most help. So you can keep beating the shit out of me every time I want in on the action or you can accept the fact that I know how to inflict the most damage at the right now. Dellini is the key to all of that, so stop trying to give me head injuries and accept the fact we're in this together!" Dinah snarled viciously.

The Joker studied her closely, realizing just how dangerous Dinah was sober; completely untamable. He knew he'd have to keep her just as close to him as Chechen had, but he didn't intend to drug her. Oh no, she was far more useful to him clean.

"I'm not a schemer, life's so much more interesting when there's a little chaos introduced into things," the Joker said after a long moment.

"Dellini isn't a schemer either. Think of her more as. . . a benefactor, a woman with tremendous social power. She is not a woman to be denied. She may offer advice, but she won't tell us how to do our job unless she sees a flaw in the plan. What Dellini will do, is tell us when the best time to strike is. We're seeing her at 4pm, wear a clean shirt. . . wear a clean everything, don't paint your face, she'll only make you wash it off," Dinah said, pursing her lips in anger.

Standing there, she swayed on her feet, the adrenaline from the day's events finally wearing off. As Dinah fell the Joker caught her, pulling her against him. Lifting Dinah up, he carried her over to the bed before going into the bathroom to wash his face. Undressing, he went back into the bedroom and undressed, climbing under the blankets he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Dinah stiffened for a moment in panic in her sleep, struggling a little before he murmured soothing words in her ear, and she relaxed against him.


	6. Chapter 5

Dinah woke with an arm wrapped firmly around her waist, the body behind her kept her warm and snug. Stiffening into a defensive posture, she pushed herself up and tried to remember what had happened before she saw the blood seeping through her shirt. Climbing to her feet and going into the bathroom she closed the door and gently peeled the shirt off the scab, muttering a dark curse when it tore and blood oozed out. She dug in the medicine cabinet for some antibacterial and a pad of gauze. Taking her time, she dressed the wound before sitting down heavily on the lid of the toilet in an effort to decompress from the stress of the last few days events. Despite his hot and cold demeanor, he really had given her a precious gift by forcing her to get clean. And despite the constant beatings, it really was sweet the way he wanted to defend her against her assailants.

Sighing and pressing her hands into her thighs, she stood up and opened the door to find the Joker staring down at her intently. "Let me look at your chest."

"What?" She said, taking a wary step backwards into the bathroom.

"Come here," the Joker said, moving towards her and reaching her for shirt.

"**NO!**" Dinah screamed, throwing her hands up over he head.

"I'm not a rapist, calm down," he said, pushing her hands down and pulling her shirt down. Gently peeling back the bandage he studied the bright red J in all of it's angry glory. Gently refastening the bandage he looked up into Dinah's frantic eyes. "I'm not Chechen, take a breath."

Shuddering, she gently eased out of his arms and got shakily to her feet. "I'll let you shower."

Going back into the bedroom she sat down on the bed and tried to steady her breathing. He was right, he wasn't Chechen, and so far, the Joker hadn't given her any reason to think that he would violate her in that way.

Twenty minutes later the Joker emerged with a towel around his waist and went to the closet and pulled out a purple shirt.

"Thank you," Dinah said after a long moment.

"For what?" He asked, although he already knew.

She looked around her, helpless to find the words. Then she shrugged, stiffly climbed to her feet and walked up to him and stood on her tippy toes, kissing him lightly on the mouth. "For setting me free."

"You're not free yet," he replied.

"I'm closer than I've ever been Joker," Dinah said passionately, feeling more and more steady on her feet around him with each moment. "Come on, we've got a date with destiny. Can I drive?"

"No."

Two and a half hours, 50 traffic violations, and a multitude of expletives later, they pulled up in front of a falling down old building in a part of the Narrows that was less travelled.

"Come on," Dinah said. "Keep your head down and don't say a word, my relationships with these people are tentative at best, despite Dellini's support."

They approached a door the Joker hadn't seen previously and knocked on it. A panel slid open and a bloodshot eye peered out at them.

"Hi there, I've got an appointment with the Iron Lady," Dinah said brightly, smiling up at the eye. "This is my guest."

The red eye watched them for a moment longer before slamming the panel shut and opening the door. Grabbing the Joker's hand, she pulled him inside. They were in a large basement filled with people lying on a dirt floor, various bits of drug paraphernalia were scattered around.

"Opium," Dinah muttered quietly. They strode purposefully but silently through the opium den, ignoring the people lying prone around them. Walking through the long low room, she knelt down at the back wall, pulled up a flap and crawled inside, followed closely by the Joker.

The Joker had no idea where they were going as he followed her through a maze of underground tunnels, unsure of where they were going to wind up until Dinah pushed through a trap door in the basement of an old hotel in a completely different part of Gotham, walking over to an elevator, she pressed the 'up' button and waited patiently as the Joker came to stand by her side. She seemed so intent, so focussed on the task at hand, it was almost unnerving.

Then they were on the elevator flying up to the top floor, stepping off into a well appointed vestibule, Dinah finally turned to the Joker. "We're here. Is there anything you want to know before we go inside?"

"I think you told me everything I need to know Dinah," he replied.

"Good, it's best not to call me Alice around here," Dinah said, ringing the doorbell. "Alice died a long time ago Joker. Now it's just Dinah."

A moment later the door open and a short round woman with a turban on her head and black rimmed square framed glasses opened the door.

"Dinah, darling, it's so nice to see you, and this must be your charming partner in crime, come in come in darlings, there is much to discuss," Dellini said, standing back to grant them admittance into her apartment.

Stepping into the art deco splendor of Dellini's apartment, they followed the tiny woman down a hall with dark wood paneled walls to a Japanese style tea room where the two women knelt gracefully at the table, leaving the Joker to arrange his limbs on the floor.

"He's not used to dealing with this, is he?" Dellini asked Dinah while studying the Joker's scarred face.

"He's still learning how to accept help from other people," Dinah replied sweetly, smiling at the Joker.

"You must let Dinah help you destroy Chechen if this is your path," Dellini said sharply to the purple suited man next to her.

"Chechen hurt my Grey Angel," he replied, staring at her.

"Darling, Chechen hurt her long before Dinah belonged to either of you. And what you foolish men don't seem to realize is that a woman like Dinah can never be owned, can never be tamed. That's why she's the Grey Angel Joker, not black or white, she's like a mist that runs between your fingers; she's as intangible as the night," Dellini said, returning his dark stare with a sharp look of her own. "Because of this she needs to be the one to strike the final blow against Chechen, but don't worry darling, you can have your fun too, as long as Angel gets to say her peace."

"Oh, she'll more than say her peace, she'll help destroy him. . . You know Dellini, I don't have a plan for Chechen, I'm just going to do things to him, and see what happens. It doesn't really matter what, as long as he pays for what he did," the Joker said, staring at the tiny woman.

"By the time this is over darling Dinah will be just as dead as Alice, yes yes, I know all about Alice. You see darlings, Mr. Chao was an associate of mine, he looked after things for me, and because he proved so loyal, I gave you into his keeping. You were still too young to come home with me darling, you weren't old enough to accept the consequences, and when Mr. Chao passed away I was at home in Italy wrapping up some business. By the time I got back it was too late, and you were lost to us. But now you're back, and we'll extract the revenge that is your right," Dellini said with a malicious smile. Pulling out a day planner, she flipped through it until she came to a page that seemed to satisfy her. "Ah, here it is, the Romanov Ball, it's a mob funded event that Chechen puts on every year. Everyone whose anyone will be there Dinah, everyone that you know in power will be there. Hmm, I'm never sure where I stand with the mob, Maroni has his uses, but Gambol and Chechen? We're better off without them, they make the rest of us look so terribly unprofessional. Now the ball is one week from tomorrow night, I suggest you go and start collecting your allies and plan whatever it is your going to plan. Dinah? The dress your to wear is on my bed. Wearing the jewelry that goes with it, it means you represent me. I won't be at the Romanov Ball, especially if you're going, too much drama. You'll be my emissary Angel. Now I have some business, so go run along."

Accepting dismissal, the Joker followed Dinah out of the tea room and down several corridors before arriving in an opulent Italian Renaissance style bedroom. Laid out on the bed was an iridescent white gauze dress with an empire waist, it was lavishly covered in glittering crystals. Laid out with the dress were several white gold hair pins and a pendant with Dellini's signature D in a scrolling script.

Dinah tied up her hair and went to fasten the necklace at her neck when the Joker came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the back of her neck hotly. "So now that we have Dellini's support the real fun can start," he said eagerly, taking the chain from her and fastening it for her.

"What do you mean Joker?" Dinah asked, carefully folding up the dress and wrapping the hairpins inside of it before placing it all in the bag Dellini had thoughtfully provided and pulling it over her head so that the strap crossed her body.

"We get to break out my men from Arkham," he replied with a menacing smile. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Dinah replied heading towards the front door.

Heading back to the car, they took a different way. "I hate those dirty stinking opium dens more than anything," was all Dinah would say on the subject. Eventually they came to a massive underground chamber. It looked like it belonged in some Byzantine temple and not underneath Gotham City. With it's stunning mosaic walls and massive rotunda ceiling that vanished into the darkness.

Stopping on the uneven stone floor, they looked around them in awe. "Drink it in, this won't be accessible in a few more years, and I doubt I could find it again if I had too. I found it once before, when, well, nevermind."

"No secrets, your secrets could get the both of us killed," he started, and before Dinah could reply a voice snaked up out of the darkness behind them.

"I heard you were up for grabs," said a boy, about 15, standing at the edge of the room near a crack in the wall that was only big enough for a child to slip through. He had greasy black hair and so much dirt on his face it was difficult to tell his ethnicity. His black eyes shown out of his face like brightly polished stones. He held his hand out, hanging from his finger tips were several of the oxycodone pills in a small baggy. "If you come with me I can get you all the pills you want."

"Prince Ratnecker, if your father knew what you were doing he would skin you alive," Dinah said harshly, surprising the Joker.

"My father isn't here though, is he?" The boy continued to taunt. "Come on Angel, I can give you what you need."

"No, you can't," the Joker said, moving fast. Before Dinah could stop him he had savagely kicked the boy in the stomach, dropping him to the ground where he continued to kick and punch the boy into oblivion and Dinah felt sick when she heard his bones snap and his screams of agony. Before the Joker dragged him up and flicked open his knife, holding it near the boy's eye who watched the dully glinting blade wide-eyed. "The Grey Angel belongs to me. Tell everyone."

Then he cut Ratnecker's eye open and Dinah stared as the Joker wiped the blade on the prince's dirty clothes.

"You cut-you blinded-" Dinah tried to breath as she squatted down, by the Joker just grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her from the majestic room. "You just blinded the Rat King's son Joker, oh gods you blinded the Rat King's son," she moaned as he dragged her down the hall. "They're going to come after us, we're going to die, oh gods, oh gods."

Dinah fell down hard against the greasy concrete, and the Joker turned, retaliating viciously.

"Get up, get up you fucking bitch!" He said, kicking her hard in the ribs before grabbing her by the hair and wrenching her to her feet. "We have to move. We'll hide out at your apartment tonight, then we'll leave for the warehouse."

Dinah followed him silently after that, pointing the way but offering nothing else. When they finally emerged into the evening light, they walked the last fee blocks to Dinah's apartment. She unlocked the door and held it open for him before locking it behind them. Stopping she looked around the herb store and sighed. Home was such a fluid thing for her.

Shaking her head, she slinked past the Joker and up the stairs to her apartment where she dropped her bag on the couch and looked around her apartment.

The Joker joined her a moment later and watched Dinah walked through the apartment like a ghost, seeming to memorize all the details, to keep it perfectly preserved in her mind. Then she vanished into the shower, and a moment later he could hear the water running in the shower.

Dinah soaped up her hair and scrubbed down every inch before rinsing off. The physical and emotional exhaustion caught up to her and she slid down the shower wall and wept. She silently howled with the pain and the loss and gritty reality of a sober world. Remembering the pills in her medicine cabinet, she stepped out of the shower and opened the mirror. Staring in disbelief at the missing pill bottles she turned and wrenched open the door. Flying naked through the apartment past the Joker she ran into the kitchen pulled open the cabinet underneath the sink and unscrewed the cap on the broken garbage disposal on her sink Dinah dug her hand up in between the blades.

"What are you doing?" The Joker asked, climbing to his feet and slowly approaching her.

"Hah!" Dinah gasped, sniffling as she pulled the bottle free.

"No you don't," the Joker said, grabbing her and clenching her wrist. "Drop the pills Dinah, drop the pills or I'm gonna break your wrist!"

"No! I can't, it's too much, it's too much!" She shrieked. "Just give me what I need!"

"No you don't toots," He said, playing the tendons in her wrist like an over-taut harp she dropped the pill bottle onto the floor as he dragged her back towards the couch.

"I can't! I can't! I can't! It's too tangled, it's too much! I just want it to stop!" Dinah sobbed. "The prince is dead, the Rat King's gonna follow us, he's gonna kill me before I get to Chechen, I haven't eaten or slept in days and I just can't anymore, I just can't!"

"Shhshhhshhh," he soothed. "We're gonna get your things and get out of here Dinah, you won't be coming back."

"I can't," she sobbed.

"Yes you can," he encouraged, slowly drawing her to her feet. "Come on."

The Joker helped Dinah finish getting cleaned up, he silently watched her pack her backpack with the dress for the ball and a pair of shoes, as well as a few changes of underwear and socks and a couple shirts. Taking the picture of Mr. Chao off the table she tucked it into her bag. Dressing sensibly in a pair of jeans, a long sleeved shirt and a pair of sneakers, she pulled her hoodie on over her head and looked wearily at the Joker. "Let's go."


End file.
